• Injury Recovery is not Linear

    May 20, 2021 Ana

    How many times have you heard the phrase, “injury recovery is not linear?” If you’re like me, quite a few times. And you give a small sigh and resigned nod, “I know” and promise you’ll be patient. Injured athletes know this and secretly hope that this time it’ll be different.  I’ve been battling an injury…

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  • 2020 in Review (haha), 2021 in Preview

    January 9, 2021 Ana

    I almost didn’t write this post because… do we really want to review the dumpster fire of 2020?? But maintaining this small tradition is a tiny sense of normalcy that I needed to start off 2021 right, and there were some good things that happened. As always, let’s start with the numbers! Stats: 1,730 miles…

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  • Injury Update and Goal (and Life) Adjustment in 2020

    August 19, 2020 Ana

    You may have noticed things have been a bit quiet on the blog. The big reason is that in the face of a global pandemic and an (overdue) societal focus on systemic racism, it felt colossally insensitive to publish posts about adventures and whisky like everything was normal. (Whatever normal even means anymore.)  However, I…

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  • 7 Ultrarunning Skills to Use During Quarantine

    April 9, 2020 Ana

    Imagine someone who: chooses to run 27+ hours without sleep; wears short shorts on a trail full of nettles or cacti; gleefully consumes pickle juice followed by salted watermelon; and shamelessly applies anti-chafe cream to delicate regions in broad daylight. That person’s life choices seem questionable at best, and hardly useful during a pandemic. However,…

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  • Are You An Injured Runner? It’s Going To Be Okay.

    February 26, 2020 Ana

    It’s been over 17 weeks since Javelina (but who’s counting?) And I’ve been healing from one of my patented Vague Soft Tissue Injuries ®, that take forever to heal. Immediately post-race I had a strain in my left tensor fasciae latae that made even walking extremely painful. For those unfamiliar, the TFL is a small…

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  • runner at Mt. Rainier

    2019 in Review – 2020 in Preview

    January 13, 2020 Ana

    This post is a little later than it would normally be to start the new year, but I wanted to wait for the result of a lottery. And, spoiler alert, I’m glad I did! But first, the numbers for 2019! 1,715 miles run One 50K completed (Badger Mountain 50K race report) One 53 miler completed…

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  • Runner on desert trail

    10 to 100 Miles: What Does it Take?

    November 14, 2019 Ana

    You’re at mile 71 of 100. It’s the middle of the night, your feet feel like throbbing lumps of wood, and you’re gamely trying to stay awake because you’ve still got more than a marathon to go until you can finally stop moving. You’ve got a mouthful of something from an aid station, and swallowing…

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  • Four Responses to “When’s Your Next Race?”

    July 22, 2019 Ana

    You’ve just finished regaling your family and friends with the story of your ultramarathon, complete with glorious mountain views, gastrointestinal pyrotechnics, battles with the local flora and fauna, aid station food bliss, and your tears and high fives at the finish line. You’ve relived every moment and are basking in the glory of finishing a…

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  • Runner at Deception Pass

    8 Things Every Runner Needs to Know About Physical Therapy

    March 14, 2019 Ana

    We all know that going to WebMD when something hurts is a terrible idea. But do we do it anyway? Of course. Let’s be honest, nothing good comes out of that. Searching “knee pain after running” will leave you with the alarming impression that you have kneecap cancer and your leg is going to fall…

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  • hiker at Mt. Baker

    2018 in Review – 2019 in Preview

    January 1, 2019 Ana

    2018 was not the year I planned, but it was not quite the tragedy I feared either. Humility, reflection, community and fun were the main themes of the year.

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